Today we run the gambit of Thrusters and Burpees. Bar facing burpees to be exact. 10 minutes worth.

But First….

We LIFT:

12 min E2MOM

High Hang Squat Clean + Low Hang Squat Clean + Full Clean

3 reps and 6 sets… 18 total reps. The reason we point this out is to help quantify the volume. At only 18 reps we should be looking to move large loads. So buck up buttercup and put on stack up some plates!

Ok so now lets look at the WOD. Cardio for days. That is considering 115/75 thrusters are a walk in the park!

Overcoming fear is a monumental idea. Listen to many successful people and they will address the concept of fear.

Often times fear begins as an internalized belief system that, at its root, is completely unfounded. In this post we will spend some time explaining some strategies we use within our training to help mitigate this fear.

First, everyday we always dedicate at least 15 minutes to a meditation practice. We have developed a system that allows us to search and live within the present moment. This helps to de-stress and ultimately develops a true and deep awareness of who we are.

Second, we dedicate time each month to writing. Writing helps us to express our thoughts and provides an outlet to help us tangibly and clearly see and express our perceived obstacles.

Third, we practice affirmations on a daily basis. This helps us to focus in on our true desires and leads us to very accurately and aggressively internalize the feeling of the accomplishment being affirmed.

How this relates to overcoming fear.

One day we were talking with a good friend of ours who owns a company Tree Removal Port Orange. The owner is a very successful tree climber. If look at some of the trees he climbs, you will quickly realize that, he has no fear. Or at least, he does not fear climbing trees that are, sometimes, over 100 foot tall.

As we spoke to Zac, the owner, we picked his brain. We asked, how are you able to conquer the fear of climbing tree that tall? What goes through your mind? His answer started to shape the way we approached our own fear. Here is a basic summary of what he said:

He basically said that he shifts his focus. In other words, he doesn’t even think about it. Tree climbing to Zac has become second nature, a “muscle memory” as he calls it. He mentioned that the first really tall tree he ever climbed was so nerve racking that he almost automatically stopped thinking about. When he stopped thinking about it, he said “it made it worse.” He said it was so bad that it was making him physically ill. It was at this point that he caught himself and started to develop the system he uses day in and day out to tackle Volusia County’s tallest trees. Some of the tallest trees in the state of Florida.

The System

As he approaches each job, the first thoughts he goes over is the very worst outcome. For him, death. Falling off the tree could very well be life ending. After that he reviews each one of his safety protocols and ensures that each step is completely reviewed. He checks in with his team, then he finds a quiet space to meditate. As he meditates, he completely eliminates control of his mind. He lets his mind wonder where ever his mind wants to go. After doing this for so long, his mind tends to find a true and peaceful silence. A silence that he describes as “still.” This stillness serves to a present moment awareness so strong that when his meditation has ended and he focuses in on his intentions, there is literally no doubt in his mind that the job will ultimately go step by step, exactly as planned.

We started using this system and tailoring it to our own training. Not only does this help to view our day to day workouts, it helps to put a little bit of everything into a much clearer picture. With a more clear picture of the present and a more still outlook on the chaos that life brings, focus is much more real. We are more and more focused and we are quickly opening up new realizations. Pure potential is real if you can focus your mind.

Here is the workout for today:

WOD

24m EMOM – Alternating rounds per minute

5 Ground to Overhead (155/105)

10 Toes to Bar

6 Burpee Box Jumps (24/20)

10 Deadlifts (155/105)

Approach this workout with a real :40/:20 work to rest ratio in mind. You don’t want to spend an entire minute getting the work done. Aim to be less than the recommended forty seconds.

GTO – Touch and go, the weight should be tough but not so heavy that you have to do singles.

T2B – Focus on engagement through the lats and really pushing down on the bar. Maintain a very tight hollow to arch position to maximize efficiency

Burpee Box Jumps – Go fast on these, you want to find a rhythm on these. Place your feet in the same place each rep. Step in the same place and minimize outside movement as much as possible. Land softly on that box. Remember…. Like a ninja!

Deadlifts – Unbroken is key here. The DLs are just a fill in for the minute. One to prime your posterior as get ready for the later rounds. Again, engage those lats, pull that bar into you and eternal rotation of the shoulder. Break the bar, grip and rip.

Starting on 1-23-17 we decided to embark on a 28 day nutrition and lifestyle challenge. The challenge encompasses a gambit of healthy habits including, Nutrition, Hydration, Rest, Mobility, Sleep, Stress Relief, Fish Oil, and Exercise. The challenge is a inter gym challenge and it comes with a facebook group that connects many other participating gyms. All gyms that are part of the Healthy Steps Nutrition Program.

All participants get score and tracking sheet that enable them to get track of their nutrition as well as place check marks for accomplishing the recommended healthy lifestyle choices. Participants recieve check marks for:

6-8 Hours Sleep

Exercise for the day (WOD or recovery, etc)

Stress Relief, we recommend Headspace

80+ ounces of water, we recommend 128 ounces for most active people

and I think its something like 1200 mg of EPA and DHA in the fish oil, we recommend SFH

We understand the stigma around the “challenges’ but we have been successful over time using this technique to slowly help certain individuals to implement healthy lifestyle habits. What we have seen is that many people walk away with not a completely new set of habits, but 1 to 3 very solid habits (such as drinking water and sleeping an extra hour). In turn, this often times carries over into the clients performance over time, fueling an anticipation for the next challenge to pick up another 1-3 good solid habit, So, we see this as along term play in the healthy lifestyle habits of many as opposed to a quick fix 28 day challenge that you see so much on the TV.

Why we recommend what we do:

Water. As a general rule of thumb, we recommend a gallon of water. To know the exact perfect quantity of H2O each individual will need is almost impossible to nail down as each individual will derive a different amount of water from the food within their diet. Also a factor is the amount of perspiration which will vary from individual to individual.

Sleep. We recommend 6-8 hours as a general rule of thumb. Again, each individual will vary but most people will need at least 6-8 hours to properly re-energize and recuperate. We always recommend solid sleep habits along with the recommended dosage. We advise a a very dark sleeping space, a very quiet sleeping space, and a sleeping space that is free from distractions. We suggest avoiding all electronics close to sleep time and the elimination of all blue light devices as they stimulate the brain and make it more difficult to reach deep sleep.

Fish Oil. It helps to control inflammation within the body, regulating the ratio of Omega 3’s to Omega 6’s/9’s. Purchasing quality fish oil can be tricky, so we give a recommended dosage of EPA and DHA. We have had a tremendous amount of success with the liquid SFH brand.

Stress Relief. We like to incorporate some meditation into our healthy lifestyles as it serves, what we believe to be a very well undervalued aspect of emotional control and intelligence. Meditation is a great way to get in touch with you body mind and spirit. We think of meditation as a way to listen and feel what your body and mind really want and need. It helps to lead into self awareness and often opens people up to a much much more stress free life. We the the ease and convenience of headspace. Its an app that is super easy to access and it has quick little sessions you can manageable fit right into a busy lifestyle.

Can’t argue with some fitness as the sun comes up. This pic is taken on the east coast of Florida, Volusia County to be exact.

It was a great day for some soft sand sprints followed by several sets of strict pull ups at the playground.

High tide, Low tide, we get it done. My calves are on FIRE!

Here’s a wod for you today:

3 Rounds for time

400m Run

10 Burpee Over the Box (24/20)

20 Wall Balls (20/14)

This is a straight burner. Not much time to breathe or rest. Pretty much move and keep moving. Suck it up and finish strong. Its going to hurt no matter what, so bite the bullet and push through to get it done. The faster you go, the quicker you get to rest.

Today – Sunday was all about getting SOMETHING in. Its usually a lazy day, so just getting in the gym and getting some work in is great.

Ran into Chris Fulton who is an unusual character on a Sunday Finday. He had a old goody on his programming, so I decided to jump into his workout. Man… Old boy can work. He actually lapped me. It was a repeat for the CrossFit Open 2016. 16.1, Which is listed below:

We recommend using a foam roller because of the many many benefits. Here are 3 of our favorite reasons why we roll everyday!

Foam Rolling to increase mobility. If you think about it like a deep tissue massage that doesn’t cost you $60-$70 an hour you can more than justify the increased mobility you can recieve from spending 20-30 minutes a day working out your kinks. The concept is based on the pressure from the foam roller as it serves to increase blood supply, loosen fascia and give the natural length tension relationship back to the muscle itself.

Foam Rolling to promote quicker recovery time. As mentioned above, foam rolling helps blood flow to the area under pressure. Increasing blood flow to exhausted muscles delivers much need nutrients that rebuild broken down tissue. Much like your garden, the more you feed and water the tissues of your muscles, the faster your recovery time.

Foam Rolling to decrease soreness. After a long and brutal workout, often times you muscles will respond by tightening up as you drive home. This is especially true if you do not spend adequate time cooling down from your workout. Along with a 5-10 minute cool down we highly suggest a 5-10 mintue session on the foam roller to help relax the muscle groups worked. This may not help to completely eliminate all soreness, but it will most certainly ease the DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) over the next few days.

So there you have it. Just a few solid reason why we recommend all of our clients foam roll on a daily basis.

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